Water power-driven fan for mechanical draft cooling towers



March 1954 L. T. MART ETAL 2,672, WATER POW 4 Sheets-Sheet l ER-DRIVEN FAN FOR MECHANICAL DRAFT COOLING TOWERS Filed Aug. 21, 1950 9 O O O O O B 0 b O Y O 8 /do 0 o o o O a o o a o o c o o a a o c o 0. I) O l O Q Q O O b O a 9 O 0 9 O O O O 6 I 6 B 0 O O B O O O Q 0 O 0 O O 0 O O O B O O 0 0 O O o O O O 6 Q 6 0 D 0 O O O 0 O O 0 G O O O O 6 I Q I Z i.

INVENTORS. 460/7 ZMarl- I er 5 Fa/aj/ce B Q r I HTTORNE March 16, 1954 L. T. MART ET AL 2,672,328 WATER POWER-DRIVEN FAN FOR MECHANICAL DRAFT COOLING TOWERS Filed Aug. 21, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 220 I f 21 2/5 Z22 ma 1 2'20 224 2/6 zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz222mza:azzezzzzzzeeeezzezzzzzz Zig. e7. JNVENTORS,

Leo/2 7? Ma 4 Homer .5. f/q/ce BY Ll} I March 16, 1954 T. MART ET AL WATER POWER-DRIVEN FAN FOR MECHANICAL DRAFT COOLING TOWERS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Aug. 21, 1950 Hillv Hlil.

Hllllh INVENTOff, Leo/7 77 Mar Y Homer 5 Frqj/ce B A 2 g 4 TmR/VEK ing' the course of the following specification Patented Mar. 16, 1954 CAL DRAFT COOLING Townes Leon T. Mart, Missio County, Kans., and H 11 Township, Johnson omer E. Fordyce, Gashland, Mo.,- assignors to TheMa-rley' fiompa'ny,

Inc., Kansas Kansas Gity, Kama, a corporation. of

Ap ication Aueus'itz 19.5.0, .S riamo. 1.8.0.582

(o1. torn-") Claims 1 irus invention relates tc-the art of heat exchange and particularly to equipment wherein liquids are cooled preparatory to use in commercial machines such as condensers, and the primary aim of the invention is the provision of such improvements to mechanical draft water cooling towers as pertain to motivating unit thereof.

One of the important aims of this invention is the provisionof mechanical draft water cooling'towers, having a fan as a part thereof, with unique, novel, efficien-t and relatively inexpensively maintained means for driving the fan driving the air through the employment of pressure imparted to the liquid or water being cooled and as the water is being directed toward conventional splash decks of the cooling tower for gravitation therethroiigh and where it is brought into heat exchange relation with the stream of air established by the said fan.

Further objects of the invention include the specific details of constructing and combining the mechanical elements embodying this invention with the conventional parts of a commercial type water coolingtower; the provision of novel and unique means for employing the force of the water being conveyed to thecooling tower as a drive medium'for the fan thereof; the manner in which the water to be cooled is jetted through specially-disposed nozzles and thereafter recaptured and directed to the distribution basin of the cooling tower for movement through the splash decks of the tower; the manner and'means of combiningmeans for releasing the water to be cooled under pressure with the fan of the cooling tower'g and-the way of specially forming the fan assembly for utilizing the water to be cooled as it is directed under pressure to the splash decks of the tower.

Other objects of the invention will appear durreferring to the accompanying drawing, wherein-the number of specific forms of cooling towers embodying the invention are illustrated and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a cooling tower having a fan motivating means therein and associated with the conventional components thereof that are made in accordance with the instant invention.

2 is a fragmentary, vertical, central, sectional-view taken on line 11-11 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 lean enlarged, fragmentary, sectional i'iwtakhoh-lifie III---1II of Fig. '1.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view-of a portion of a I mechanical draft water cooling tower embodying a modi ied form or the invention.

"Fig. 5 is a fragmentary, sectional view taken on line V-V of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view through the fan hub assembly with the blades disposed parallel to thewater supply pipe.

Fig. '7 is a top plan view of a cooling tower of the type illustrated in Fig. 1, for example, and made to embody-a further modification of the invention.

Fig. 8 is a vertical, fragmentary, sectional view taken on line VIII-VIII of-Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a top plan view of a cooling tower made to embody a yet further modification of the invention; and,

Fig. 10 is a vertical, condensed, sectionalview taken on line X-X of Fig. 9.

It has heretofore been the general commercial practice'to drive the airunotivati-ng fanso'f mechanical draft cooling towers through the employment of electric motors, gasoline engines or other prime movers of an expensive character, both with respect to the initial investment and maintenance. These mechanical draft cooling towers embody one or'more splash deck unitssuch as illustrated in United States Letters Patent Nos. Re. 21,794, issued "May-'6, 1941, and 2,330,901, issued October 5, 19 43.

Towers of the character embodying this invention and such as those illustrated and described in the above-identified United States Letters Patent are regularly employed to cool water from machines and deviceswhere the temperature thereof has'been raised and to which machines and devices the same water is pumped for reuse.

In cooling the waterpassing from such machines and devices that may be in the nature of condensers, for example, the water is directed to the coolingtower under pressure, released at the-top of splash deck units, allowed to gravitate through said units where it is contacted with air drawn into the cooling tower by'a fan i and then collected in a basinor sump from whence it is withdrawn for passing through commercial equipment prior to its returnto'the cooling tower.

Such water as is used in the commercial equipment and passed through the cooling tower is pumped under pressure through pipe l;0-' in the form of the invention-illustrated in'Figs. 1 to '3, inclusive, which pump is nothere illustrated. This pipe extends to and is in communication with a fitting I2 rotatably supporting hub H 3 to which is rigidly secured fan blades I6 of desired pitch and which, when rotated, draw air upwardly through fan ring I8 forming a part of the main housing 20 of the cooling tower and wherein is provided an air intake port 22 adjacent to a splash deck unit 24.

A plurality of conduits 26 are supported by and in communication with the hollow hub member I4, and these conduits extend radially from the axis of rotation of fan blades I6 to a point within a trough 38 formed by fan ring I8. The laterally-directed sections 28 of conduits 2B terminate in open ends or jetting elements through which the water under pressure emanates to establish the necessary amount of reaction to drive fan blades It at a speed sufilcient to draw an ample volume of air inwardly through ports 22 to cool the water that is gravitating downwardly through splash deck units 24.

Fan ring I8 supports the collecting trough 39, the open side whereof lies in the same horizontal plane as that plane within which radial conduits 26 are disposed; and, as the jetted water escapes from the laterally-disposed sections 28 of each conduit 26 respectively, this said water enters collecting trough 3e and flows to the distribution basin 32 from whence it gravitates through splash deck unit 24 and back to point of use, as has heretofore been clarified.

Thus, the water to be cooled and which is pumped from the point of use is uninterrupted in its recycling or circulatory path yet employed to that useful purpose of rotating fan blades 18 without the employment of separate prime movers, such as the electric motors and connections.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 4 to 6, inclusive, the same broad general concept is utilized, in that the pressure imparted to water passing through pipe I06 is the motivating element for fan blades I02. These fan blades are specially formed, however, and each comprises a pipe I04 extending longitudinally through the blade body. The pipe I04 is supported by and in communication with a hollow hub element I mounted upon fitting I98 that forms an interconnecting part between pipe l0!) and pipe or pipes I94, depending upon the number of fan blades employed.

Hub element IDS is rotatably carried by fitting I08; and, as water is pumped through pipe I09, fitting I96 and pipes led, the jetting action created at the outer or free ends of pipes IM will impart movement to fan blades IE2. Each pipe I04 has a laterally-facing outlet port H9 or jetting member for the water passing therethrough, and this outlet port H8 and the end of pipe I04 in which the same is created lies within the confines of collecting trough II2 formed by fan ring IM.

This trough is annular and in communication with a distribution basin lit; and, as water is collected in this trough H2, it moves by gravity to distribution basin I I6 from whence it is broken into relatively small streams for introduction to underlying splash deck unit H8. Fan blades I02 establish a current of air upwardly through ring II and draw such air inwardly through intake port 29 formed in housing 22. Thus, the air is drawn through splash deck unit H3 to create the necessary amount of heat exchange to fulfill the purpose for which the cooling tower is constructed and used.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8, fan ring 200 forms a part of a cooling tower wherein a conventional form of splash deck 282 is employed, which splash deck may be of the form shown in Patent 2,330,901, issued October 5, 1943, or Patent 2,342,952, issued February 29, 1944, for example. This splash deck 202 receives water from a series of nozzles 204 carried by a number of pipes 296 joined to a manifold 298 which, in turn, communicates with a collecting trough 2m formed as a part of or in direct association with fan ring 290, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 8.

Fan ring 290 forms throat or passage through which the air is forced by blades 2I2 when the fan is being rotated, and this air is drawn into splash deck 282 through air intake ports 2M or, if desired, the open sides of the tower body. Drift eliminator 2I8 is interposed between the bank of nozzles 284 and fan ring 290. This drift eliminator is of conventional type such as that shown in Patent 2,128,678, issued August 30, 1938, and serves to separate entrained water from the air as it is drawn through the throat formed by fan ring 200.

Collecting trough 218 is in communication with manifold pipes 208 through the medium of branch conduits 2I8; and, as water passes from the angularly-disposed sections 229, it is collected in trough 2 ill and caused to flow by gravity to nozzles 294. Fan blades 2I2 are driven about their axis of rotation by the force imparted thereto through radial conduits 222 having their inner ends mounted to a fan hub assembly, as shown in Fig. 3.

The laterally-disposed sections 220 formed on the free or outer ends of each radial conduit 222 create jets for the water passing through these conduits 222 from a supply ipe 224. Collecting troughs m have a sump portion below the an nular opening thereinto through which the conduits 222 pass, and branch conduits 2I8 join trough 2H3 at the lowermost portion and are of sufiicient capacity to withdraw all the water from trough 2Iil as it is collected therein during the normal operation of the cooling tower.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10, the cooling tower structure with respect to splash deck 3%, nozzles 382 and drift eliminator 3M are the same as analogous portions of the cooling tower illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8 and just above described. In this form of the invention, however, fan ring 396 has fan 308 rotatably mounted therein; and the water which drives this fan 308 and which is later passed through nozzles 382 and splash deck 395) for cooling enters a Pelton wheel 319 through supply pipe 3i2 leading from a pump (not here shown) and the point of use.

This Pelton wheel structure 3m mounts fan 39B, and the impellers 3! of Pelton wheel 3W are within the path of travel of a stream of water entering the Pelton wheel housing through pipe 3I2. This pipe Biz and, therefore, the stream of water is disposed on a tangent path with respect to the axis of rotation of fan 398 and successively strikes the impellers 3M to cause rotation of the fan. The water then passes from the Pelton wheel assembly 3H6 through pipes 3Ifi joined to pipe 318 that carry the several nozzles 392.

It has been found in practice that so employing the water passing through the cooling tower will appreciably reduce the initial investment when installing the cooling equipment and will maintain the operating cost at an exceptionally low level without affecting the efiiciency in any manner whatsoever.

Obviously, the broad concepts of the invention might be embodied in structure having physical characteristics of widely-varying types and kinds. Therefore, it is desired to be limited only by the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a mechanical draft tower for cooling 1 water wherein the water is conveyed to and from the tower through the medium of a recirculating pressure system, the combination of a splash deck unit adapted to receive water to be cooled from said system; a rotatable, bladed fan assembly for producing artificial currents of air; means for channeling said currents into an air stream pass ing through the unit in intersecting relationship to water gravitating through the unit and adapted. to direct the air to the atmosphere beyond the fan after passage through the unit, whereby the gravitating water is cooled prior to return to said system; and structure for utilizing the energy of water pressure in said system as the sole means of rotating the fan assembly without waste of water, said structure including a plurality of jetting elements carried by said fan assembly, means including radial conduits rotatable with said assembly for directing water from said system to the elements, said elements all being oriented to produce torque in the same direction, whereby the reaction of the water emanating therefrom rotates the fan assembly, a trough underlying the elements, beyond the blades of said assembly, outside the air stream, and circumscribing the fan assembly for receiving the water emanating from the jetting elements and directing the same to said unit.

6 2. In a mechanical draft tower as set forth in claim 1, wherein said trough comprises an open top water distribution basin overlying the splash deck unit, adapted to receive water to be cooled from said system and having a perforated bottom. 3. In a mechanical draft tower as set forth in claim 1, wherein is provided a manifold having a number of outlets overlying the splash deck unit, and wherein is provided water passage means connecting the trough with the manifold. In a mechanical draft tower as set forth in claim 1, wherein is provided means presenting an open top chamber for passage of air from the unit to the atmosphere, the fan assembly being in said chamber and said trough surrounding the chamber, said last-mentioned means having an annular opening for clearing said conduits.

LEON T. MART. HOMER E. FORDYCE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 621,718 Seymour Mar. 21, 1899 94 ,841 Ahlen et al Nov. 30, 1909 976,246 Alberger Nov. 22, 1910 1,156,946 Vandercook Oct. 19, 1915 1,340,517 Ashley May 18, 1920 1,679,793 Smith et a1 Aug. 7, 1928 2,508,673 Guthier May 23, 1950 2,512,782 Strickland June 27, 1950 2,590,190 Linderbaum Mar. 25, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 531,366 Germany Aug. 10, 1931 

